The article examines the problem of population ageing, which is one of the main threats to the demographic development of both the country as a whole and its individual regions. Using the Jewish Autonomous Region as a case study, the process of population ageing and its consequences for the socio economic development of the region are analyzed. A high demographic dependency burden on the working age population in the Jewish Autonomous Region is noted. Since 2008, the share of children and the elderly has converged, and subsequently the population above working age has come to predominate. This issue is also characteristic of the Primorye Territory and the Sakhalin Region and is among the most pressing in the Far Eastern Federal District, although its percentage ratio there is lower than the Russian average. The calculated longevity coefficients and ageing depth index indicate that the region is demographically old. The low life expectancy indirectly reflects the insufficient level of healthcare development in the region and the inadequate commitment of the population to a healthy lifestyle. The high proportion of the elderly population leads to high mortality rates. The growing demographic dependency burden affects the working age population; reduces demand and consumer activity; increases the share of dependants relative to the working population; reduces the most creative, progressive, and innovation and technology oriented segments of society; and raises spending on social protection, the pension system, and healthcare, while the base for insurance contributions shrinks
Keywords
Population ageing, age structure of the population, demographic dependency burden, Jewish Autonomous Region, morbidity, mortality, birth rate